Kick Off Summer With Healthy BBQ Recipes

Summer and BBQ. You can’t have one without the other. They’re a great excuse to gather with friends, enjoy a delicious meal, and soak up the summer sunshine. The one downside is that these meals are often unhealthy, leaving you feeling lethargic. So you end up full on, not only BBQ, but the guilt you feel about what you’ve eaten. But fear not. You don’t have to miss out on the joys of summer barbecues. Here are two healthy BBQ recipes to kick-start the season that will leave you feeling good about eating all summer long.

BBQ Salmon

The Northwest is heaven for salmon lovers. The fish is delicious and there’s lots of it. It’s also a healthy alternative to red meat. Like meat, fish is high in protein. It also has the added health benefit of Omega 3 fatty acids, which are good for heart health.

Ingredients (Serves 4):

4 salmon filets

1/2 cup of finely chopped shallots

1/4 cup of drained capers

1 tablespoon fresh dill

2 lemons

Sprinkling of salt & pepper

4 pieces of aluminum foil

Directions:

Preheat grill to 400° F

Cover fish with fresh dill

Sprinkle with salt and pepper

Place each filet on a piece of aluminum foil

Squeeze juice from 1 lemon on filets

Sprinkle capers and chopped shallots over the fish

With other lemon, cut thin slices and put on top of fish

Close the foil so is the fish filet is completely sealed

Place filets on the grill for 12-15 minutes, or until fish is cooked (about 8 minutes per inch of thickness)

Skewered Asparagus

Asparagus grows all over the Pacific Northwest. So you’re guaranteed to find a local crop at a local farmers market. This is especially true during the early months of summer.

There are a lot of advantages to buying local produce. On a large scale there’s the environmental benefit of creating a smaller carbon footprint. Additionally, local produce is actually better for you. The fact it was harvested more recently means it contains more nutrients. So it’s a win-win to eat locally.

Grilling asparagus can be tricky – the spears are the perfect size to fall through the grates on a BBQ. However, there’s an easy solution: skewer it!

Recipe Ingredients (Serves 4)

2 bunches of asparagus (approximately 20 spears)

1 tablespoon coconut oil (note: melted, it equates to 2 tablespoons)

1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

2 cloves garlic, minced

Salt and pepper

2 large skewers

Recipe Directions:

If you have time, marinate the asparagus in the mixture below for a few hours before placing it on the grill

Melt coconut oil in sauce pan

Mix coconut oil, balsamic vinegar, garlic, salt and pepper in a bowl

Toss the asparagus with the mixture

Preheat grill to 350° F

Poke asparagus onto skewers (you can fit one bunch of asparagus on each skewer)

Grill for 2 to 3 minutes on each side

Have a few of our own favorite, healthy BBQ recipes? We’d love to hear about them in the comments below.